Executive Summary

This application would support a day of a theatre performance* and interactive learning for a group of students from counselling and psychotherapy and social work, both undergraduate and postgraduate. Without this funding it would not be possible to provide the opportunity for open-space learning through a performance and workshop.

The use of applied theatre is a creative way to highlight and address complex issues of violence within family dynamics. We are aiming to challenge students’ assumptions and to encourage shared discussion between social work and counselling and psychotherapy students about professional interventions and relationships with families and children. This is the first time we have considered using open-space learning, and the resulting documentation of the event in conjunction with Geese Theatre would also be a first for CLL.

Social work and counselling and psychotherapy students have not worked together before in this way and we would aim to ensure that pairs and mixed groups of students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, would collaborate in the workshop following the performance.

Cross professional and interdisciplinary projects are starting to develop between staff and students in this area of work, beginnings which would be much enhanced by this performance and workshop. We would aim to provide an innovative and memorable day of joint activity through this project, which is one of the two for which we are seeking funding. They are connected, yet aimed at different audiences. The distinction between this proposed project (Stay) and ‘Getting connected’ the subject of a separate application, is that only current students would work with ‘Stay’ whereas ‘ Getting connected’ would provide a day-long performance and inter-activity for both current students and practitioners/graduate social workers and therapists seeking CPD.